V1 Announcements

(Insert introduction here)

First Announcement
"Mr. Danya, sir...don't you think it's time for the ---"

"Hush, darn you. The speaker's on."

Mr. Danya paused to clear his throat with a loud ahem. "Hello lucky duckies. Having fun with the game? I know that Boy 22 certainly had fun killing off G06...shotgun fun, eh?" He laughed, remembering the scene perfectly. The struggle, the girl's will to live even when she got shot, the cutting of B22 with her pitiful hacksaw. Mr. Danya laughed once more, that hideous, sick laugh. It sounded exactly as it did on the airplane...only, this time it was all the more twisted.

"Alright, alright, enough of that. I'm dissapointed in all of you, though.... Only two kills! Do better!!" He sounded angry now, how different from his light-hearted, mocking voice. "I'm angry now, so I am going to state some Danger Zones. The School Building, and the Bamboo Coppice." He laughed into the mic once more. "I hope you all read the Handbook. Danger Zones are dangerous. Linger there too long, and we shall gladly transmit those awful radio transmissions to your collars and..." He paused for a dramatic effect. "KABOOM!" This sent him into a roar of continuous laughter. "Anyways..." His laughter died down quickly. "Here's the list of your dead friends. Shame that there were only two...

G06 - Helena Van Garret. Her fight to live was nice and all...I didn't really expect her to live for that long. B22 made quick work of her, indeed. Don't you just love bittersweet endings? The second death was B13 - Sydney Morvran. Darn was this guy annoying. I have no clue how he survived the last SOTF ACT...oh yeah, hiding away with his so-called friends like a little sissy coward. I was really tired of his little hippy friend talk. Whatever..." He sighed. "I'm sure that both of their deaths messed things up for some people. G06's death will have a heavy effect on what's her face, and B13's death...well, I think their whole group is pretty messed up. Shame that one girl had to mess everything up so badly. Yeah, you know who you are..."

Mr. Danya laughed once more. "This is Mr. Danya. Over and out, kiddies!"

Second Announcement
"Sir, Mr. Danya, sir...8 deaths, already! Isn't that profound?"

"Darn it, why won't you ever just be quiet when I start an announcement?" Mr. Danya paused for a dramatic effect, and then laughed his hideous laugh. "8 deaths indeed. And when did that all happen? Day one...and the day isn't even done, yet!"

This caused another laugh from Mr. Danya. It was his schtick to laugh a lot, afterall, and talk about luck and all that jazz. That's what made him crazy. That's what made him who he was...Mr. Danya, insane conductor of all what was going on.

"Ah, as I was saying...I'm gonna read off the deaths in order of their happening. Soon after my first announcement, both Niniko Kishinawa and Tayli Vreeland died via collar explosion like the fools they are. Remember I told you about that one guy's death last time? That...that...Syd guy. Yep, she freaking tripped and fell like an idiot and killed him. Niniko, well, there's nothing sad to tell about him." He sighed, obviously dissapointed in the way that Niniko had died. "He fell asleep, and must've slept through the announcement. Shame, shame. He would've been a contender, and cool for marketting." At this, he began to snicker himself into a laughing fit.

"Alright, alright..." Mr. Danya wheezed. "Next deaths...Gabrielle Minase, killed by Daisuke Andou. No, the fight wasn't cool at all, nothing great, really. Just a lot of talking. Minase should've known he was going to die, though. I mean...like, he was up against three, or four people. Shoulda figured he was going to die like a fool." He coughed into the mic, hoping to call more attention to his words incase anyone was asleep. "Next to die was that Morgana something or another girl. Um...Vendvmagli, yeah, that's it. You might know her better as Anya, though. Had quite a struggle with Jacob, if I do say so myself." Again, Mr. Danya coughed into the mic.

"And then, in the Lighthouse, it was August Masbeth's turn to die after a great fight against Hawley Faust. For a while there, I was hoping that she'd win. You know, she was fighting to avenge Helena. Yep, that girl that was killed by Faust last announcement. After she died, it was Terry's turn to bite the bullet and die. Boo hoo, boo hoo, I guess." He said the last sentences in a mocking tone, acting as if he was truly sad about their deaths. He wasn't. Not one bit sad. Dissapointed, maybe, but not sad, or remorseful at the fact that he and many others were orchestrating this dreadful program. "Now, finally, it's time to announce the Danger Zones. Danger Zones have been lifted from the Bamboo Coppice, and the School Building, meaning now you can travel freely. The new Danger Zones are The Lighthouse and The Waterfall.

"Erm, that is all for today! Remember to keep up the killings, and fight to survive, play to win!"

Third Announcement
blitzkrieg167 has entered the "SOTF Discussion" Chatroom.

Zynny: Yo Blitz!

blitzkrieg167: hi

ChaosInBlood: How you doing man?

TaichiSpirit: Hey there Blitz. :-)

blitzkrieg167: im doing fine, and hi Tai

blitzkrieg167: did you guys see the recent episode of sotf/?

Zynny: I did.

ChaosInBlood: Heh, who hasn't?

TaichiSpirit: I missed it. :-(

thelastbreath: your terrible

TaichiSpirit: My little brother was sick, and I had to drive him to the doctor's. :-/

blitzkrieg167: the episode was greatish

TaichiSpirit: Got a summary?

Zynny: Edward's death was sad...

Palooza89: So was that Mason's death. Ouchies!

TaichiSpirit: Did Uriel and Jacob die?

ChaosInBlood: Nope. They're still kicking, and I believe they're heading back to the School Building.

Zynny: Speaking of the School Building...was I the only one who laughed when Sydney died?

blitzkrieg167: he was boring...

blitzkrieg167: friiiiiends forever111one!1!!!

TaichiSpirit: LOL!!!

ChaosInBlood: Hehh.

thelastbreath: the girlz are dying too fast. gah.

Palooza89: Speaking of the girls, anyone got any favorites?

Zynny: Heather, because she took that pervert down. :-)

ChaosInBlood: Someone told me last night that Heather isn't really a girl...

TaichiSpirit: Isn't she??? :-o

Palooza89: Oh yah. Those character secret book things are going to go in-depth with a lot of the SOTF teens. Like, there's a lot of secrets we don't know.

Zynny: I'm planning on writing a Amanda/Adam/Hawley fanfic. XD

blitzkrieg167: switch hawleyz name with madelainez and ill read it

ChaosInBlood: hahahahhahaha

blitzkrieg167: :-)

Palooza89: I'm still working on my Jimmy/Chi fanfic. It's gonna be tight.

thelastbreath: like your syd/xian fic... plz spare us

TaichiSpirit: Nothing tops my Xian/Cole fanfic!

Palooza89: Ew...that story freaked me out to no end, because you had him bleeding during all of that!!

TaichiSpirit: So? He was dying that way, so he should bleed all over in the fic.

Zynny: Cillian's scary...

blitzkrieg167: yah i hear ya!! I heard that in the nxt part o the sho, he duz sumtin really craaaazy

TaichiSpirit: Umi's crew might find a way of the island.

TheNotSoGreat: Back.

ChaosInBlood: Welcome back.

TheNotSoGreat: Thx.

TheNotSoGreat: I don'

Zynny: Meh...Umi's crew.

TheNotSoGreat: I don't think anyone will find a way off the island.*

TaichiSpirit: Zynny, what's wrong with Umi's crew?

Zynny: It's the name. "Umi's crew"??? What is up with that?

blitzkrieg167: n who said she was the leader anyway lol

Palooza89: I found a terrible fanfic lastnight...

Palooza89: Not terrible, terrible, but terrible as in "I might throw up".

blitzkrieg167: wut was it

thelastbreath: probbly stumbled over 1 of his own ficks

blitzkrieg167: lolz

Zynny: Palooza, did it happen to be a Aiden/Daisuke fic by "CIB"?

Palooza89: Yeah! it was nasty...too detailed for me, mmkay

TheNotSoGreat: I think I found that fic, too. I thought it was wonderfully written, and flowed very well.

TheNotSoGreat: Besides, it was believable, too.

ChaosInBlood: ...

TheNotSoGreat: If anyone hasn't read it yet, then you should. Author extends the time at the well before Umi arrives, and then Daisuke and Aiden...well, yeah. *nosebleed*

Palooza89: Yeah, yeah. I guess it was good...

Palooza89: ...If you're into that kind of stuff.

Zynny: Someone better make a David/Madelaine/Amanda fanfic, then. XD

blitzkrieg167: i know i'd read it :-)

TaichiSpirit: Haha.

TaichiSpirit: I might write one and dedicate it to you, Blitz.

blitzkrieg167: why thank you

blitzkrieg167: its good to be appreciated :-)

ChaosInBlood: Well...it's because you seem to have tie-ins with the Administrators of the GREATEST "Survival of the Fittest" fansite. :-/

blitzkrieg167: haha still good to be appreciated, man

thelastbreath: g2g

blitzkrieg167: Bye

TaichiSpirit: Byeeee!1!

thelastbreath has left the Chatroom.

blitzkrieg167: I have to go too, unfortunately :-(

Zynny: Aw...

blitzkrieg167: keep getting nagged to get off the cpu

blitzkrieg167: nag, nag, nag, whine...that's all everyone does to me

TheNotSoGreat: Hehhhh

blitzkrieg167: Bye everyone

Zynny: Bye Blitz! Stay awesome!!

blitzkrieg167: Will do. :-)

blitzkrieg167 has left the Chatroom.

"Never thought that this kiddy stuff would actually be fun." Mr. Danya thought allowed with a small laugh and a puff of his big, fat cigar. His trademark cigar that he had even employed people to make specially for him. Of course, it was illegal to force people to make such a vile thing, but Mr. Danya didn't care. He had already done his fair share of illegal activites basically unscached. Including SOTF. "I don't know why it is. Basically the fans, I guess." He smirked, looking over at his "attendant".

Skinny, tall, and long armed, and often ridiculed by Mr. Danya. He put up with it. He had to. Who knew what Mr. Danya would do if Dorian spoke against him? Throw a collar on him and shove him in the game? Dorian shuddered against the thought. Besides, other than his fear of Mr. Danya keeping him from speaking against him and putting up with the insults, Dorian got paid very well. He had a sick mother...he had to do this stuff, all the while secretly sending her money under the alias of "Jett". Dorian sighed a little. He wasn't the only one putting up with Mr. Danya. Just here alone in this secret location there were ten people officially working for Mr. Danya (Dorian himself included), and forty soldiers patrolling the area and making sure that the US hadn't found them just yet.

"How're the fan websites coming along, Dorian?"

"Good, Sir. McLocke is still working furiously on the Hawley one, Rice is working on the "deceased" fan website for all the dead and lesser known players..." Dorian paused, trying to remember the name of one of his coworkers. "Er, um...Kaige made an Andrew Klock fansite yesterday. Not the greatest, but it's a start." Dorian laughed nervously.

"Good, good." Mr. Danya pulled the cigar out of his mouth with a small sigh. "What about the main website itself? You know, the one that all the fans are practically glued to...?"

Dorian smiled. It had been his job to work on the main website, with help here and there from Garnet. But, he didn't credit Garnet for anything, really. All Garnet was there for was to proofread, and fix any errors in the coding. "It's going great, Sir! I recently fixed a few bugs in the coding of the chatroom" - actually, Garnet had, but Dorian decided to take the credit to look better in Mr. Danya's eyes - "and now I'm trying to encode a forum to the website, so people can post up what they want to say and everything. The chatroom can only hold so many people at this current time...only around seven at the most, otherwise it crashes. So, I've decided to --"

"Fine." Mr. Danya said, the annoyance apparent. He hated it when people started to babble. He placed the cigar back in his mouth taking long puffs of it as if to hint that he was trying to remember something. "Funny how the government hardly has made much of a hubbub about all of this." He took a long puff from his cigar, blowing it all out in a poofy, ring of smoke. Mr. Danya chuckled, more to himself than Dorian. "I'm guessing they don't really want people knowing what danger everyone is in. McLocke told me that they're trying to play the whole thing off as a terrible reality show, forcing families to keep quiet about their child being in it. In fact --" He broke out into a coughing fit, causing Dorian to rush over to his boss in an effort to pat his back. Anything to ensure he wouldn't die.

"I'm fine!!" Mr. Danya yelled. During his coughing fit, he had dropped his cigar. With a frown, he kicked the cigar. "Go fetch me another cigar, Dorian."

"Y-Yes, Danya Sir." Dorian hurriedly answered to his boss's wishes, even lighting the cigar for him. Mr. Danya puffed out another ring of smoke, acting as if his little coughing fit had never happened.

"As I was saying...I believe the American Goverment is even trying to silence people." Mr. Danya fingered his cigar, pausing to idle with his thoughts. "Not kill them, mind you, but keep them quiet elsewise they may face something pretty major." Mr. Danya glared. That was the last thing that he wanted to happen. The Government keeping people quiet. He wanted everyone to scream in terror, he wanted them to see their siblings die right on the TV Screen, he wanted for parents to weep over the death of their son, or daughter. There was so much for them to see. So much for them to get terrified over.

Blip, blip. It came from one of the computer terminals. A worker wearing a rather large (not to mention goofy) headset looked over at Mr. Danya worriedly. He had been practically eavesdropping on the conversation between Dorian and Danya, but he didn't care...he made it look like he was working, anyway.

"Yeah, what is it?" Mr. Danya pointed his cigar at Achlys, an annoyed frown slowly forming on his face. "Are the kids learning to deactivate their collars already?"

"No, no!" Achlys hurriedly said, his next words coming out in a loud, blurry slur. "The island, it...it, you know..."

Mr. Danya rushed over to the screen, shoving Achlys out of the way. "What, what is it? I can't see anything!!"

"It's raining, Sir...we've lost the transmission to the cameras. We still have collar access, and all the radio frequencies are basically there...mics are still in good condition, too."

"Darn it. Would've been better if those two kids had burned down the island. But, this!" Mr. Danya held up his hands in frustration. "Recover it, Achlys, recover the whole darned thing."

"I...I can't. The only cameras working right now are the ones in the ravine, caves, warehouse, bathroom facility, and the shore." Why there were cameras in the bathroom facility was basically beyond Achlys. He blinked a little, as if to blink back tears.

"Get it back soon. Don't let any of the kids on. Elsewise, I'm going to throw you onto the island." Mr. Danya's threat was pretty idle. He didn't really plan on throwing Achlys into the island, since he'd probably leak out too many secrets to the students about the whole terrorist faction and everything like that. But, the way that Mr. Danya said that and glared was extremely convincing. Even Dorian himself was a little afraid for Achlys. "The radar map is still up, correct?"

Achlys nodded, tears of fear now falling down his face. Mr. Danya smirked. Achlys was always a coward. A crafty, creative coward, though, whom always got the job done...that was why he was one of Mr. Danya's top workers.

"Good, good. I'm going to make the announcement...the loud speaker system and all that jazz is still working, right?"

Again, Achlys nodded, as if Mr. Danya had taken his voice from him.

"Alright. Dorian, come with me and review the footage. Got to get all the deaths right, y'know?" Mr. Danya smiled, and then walked into the other room made specifically for his grand Announcements. Dorian followed him like a baby duck, trembling ever so slightly at the fact that Mr. Danya was truly all powerful. There truly was no way off the island for the kids, was there?

Oh how I love my job...

--

"Oh hello kids! Better find some shelter, it's really starting to drizzle." Mr. Danya said grandly. It was always fun announcing random crud to the students and instilling fear into their hearts. The looks on their faces as he read off the deaths of their friends were priceless. He sighed, realizing he couldn't see such a sight now that just about all the cameras were broken. Sure, there were the other locations, but it didn't seem as if anyone was really there doing anything. Must be hiding... "The rain should douse the flames, though, and wash away the blood. This might be the rare time that you'll be able to take a shower, kiddies, so I'd use this moment to my advantage."

Mr. Danya paused, reading over the long list of deaths. Some had been tragic, some had been a surprise, while others were just downright creepy. "Alright, I'm sure you all are looking forward to hearing the deaths of your friends, so I'll just get right to it. Selene stayed in a Danger Zone for too long...collar exploded, and that's that. ...Cole Hudson got cut up like a turkey by that Andrew guy, getting Xian's weapon jammed into a major artery during their rather bloody fight." Mr. Danya paused to puff out several rings of smoke before continuing on. "Simply put, Xian pulled the corkscrew out of Cole's arm, severing an artery in the process and basically spelled out the end for him. Rather messy death, too. Sprayed blood everywhere. You hear that, Xian? It was your fault." Mr. Danya laughed. Of course, he was just messing with her head.

"Next to die was Venka Rapler. Got in the way of a gunfight...her death was practically inevitable. Alan soon died next...idiot took on a guy with a gun when he only had brass knuckles." Mr. Danya shrugged, and paused for dramatic effect like he always liked to do. "Andrew Klock got shot down by that David guy...you know to protect Amanda, or something. Really, she's only the vice president's daughter. Stupid American patriots..." Mr. Danya pulled his cigar out of his mouth, looking down the list again, and trying to figure out something neat to say. "Kichiro Taka died looking for his sister at the Bamboo Coppice. Fire overwhelmed him, to say the least. Such a shame that he had already found Umi Martin - his sister - afterall. Pretty tragic story, if you ask me." Mr. Danya sighed, acting as if he felt sad for Kichiro, when in truth he didn't at all. The marketting was good, and besides, the fans love sad tradegies like the whole thing involving Kichiro and Umi.

"Edward Rommel died from his wounds, with Garrett by his side all the while. Take good care of that jacket, alright, Garrett? It's pretty nice, if I do say so myself." Marketting for that jacket would be great...Mr. Danya glanced over at Dorian with a small yawn. "The next death was pretty darn shocking, if I do say so myself. Cillian certainly had...erm, fun with Jon Tognetti. Really hacked that guy apart. Lots and lots of gore." Danya chuckled into the microphone. "Mason Lucien died a horrid death. It was...painful to watch, to say the least. Heather kinda did a little overkill, but whatever, Mason deserved it for humiliating me during our game of Internet Craps. I think he used some hacking programs...I'm sure of it.

"Oh yes, I almost forgot..." Mr. Danya grinned. "You guys are getting famous. Fan sites, fan fiction, fan art. Chatrooms discussing the SOTF ACT, too, and forums. I'm glad you guys are being so noteworthy...becoming so famous. Your parents are probably proud. Do you guys want to know some of the fanfics being written? Xian/Cole fanfics, Xian/Syd fanfics, Aiden/Daisuke fics...wow, there's even a couple of Uriel/Jacob fanfics." Mr. Danya smirked. He wanted to make them feel outraged and angry. "Got a Kichiro/Umi fanfic. Ew...never was into that whole brother/sister romance stuff. Very nasty, even in my country... Some guy I know is working on this Jimmy/Chi fanfic. Care to hear more?" Mr. Danya didn't care if they didn't want to, he just kept going on about the fanfics.

"There's also a Amanda/Adam/Hawley fanfic, too. Doesn't that make you all proud of yourselves? Fanart, fanfiction, everything. You guys are all becoming famous!" His twisted smile broadened. "There might even be a Trading Card Game, too...I'm contemplating it. Look good for the cameras, kiddies. But, it's Danger Zone time. The Woods and The Dirtpath. All other dangerzones are wiped...those two are the only dangerzones for now.

"So, everyone, remember to stay out of the rain! Find shelter, and be wary of mud and everything!!"

Fourth Announcement
Danya knocked on the door to his home, a huge smile plastered on his normally smug face. He hadn't seen his family for days now...spending all his time dealing with SOTF. He could just imagine the happy smile on his wife's face, his daughter's laughter filling up the room. Danya wouldn't be able to see his son today...he was out in the battlefield, risking his life and becoming a true blue hero for the homecountry.

His wife answered the door, a small, worn smile on her face. "You're home, you're home!"

Danya laughed. Unlike his twisted laughs about the children of SOTF, this one was filled with love, kindness, and pride for his country, and his family. He embraced her tightly, spinning his wife around gently as he entered his home.

"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!!" The happy, child voice belonged to no other than Danya's daughter, Amora. She was a generic little girl, bubbliness, bounciness, loud laughter...she was a happy six year old, pig tails and all. Danya got down on one knee, and tapped his little girl on the nose, causing her to burst into a fit of giggles.

"Hey, Amora. Keeping up with SOTF?"

"Yeah, yeah! It's really, really cool. 'Specially 'cause you're the one who made it and all." Amora giggled, and pointed to her Survival of the Fittest t-shirt, slogan and all. Merchandising for SOTF was doing great. "My shirt is so cool, Daddy!"

"But, do you know why it's cool, Amora?"

"Why?"

"Because you're wearing it." Danya hugged his daughter tightly. "Love you so much." He let go of her, standing up and flashing a smile. "I'll go and make dinner tonight. Bet you guys were tired of takeout, huh?" Danya stuck his tongue out playfully at his wife before dashing off to the kitchen.

--

Meanwhile, at Danya's place of buisness, a few of his underlings were sitting around in the room specially designed for Danya's announcements. This was their only time for a break, really. A blessing it was that Danya took time off to visit his family periodically.

McLocke was one of the four workers in the room. "Oh, look at this one!" He gestured over to the laptop screen, a small smirk appearing. "Two new fanfics, fresh off the press."

Kaige's eyes narrowed. "Boring with a capitial B. C'mon, there's got to be something better. This fanfic crud is really boring. Don't you think so, Garnet?" She placed her empty sodacan in the trash, leaning against the far wall with a small sigh.

Garnet, a worker with a faint scar above his 'brow, was helping himself to a large bag of popcorn. "I'm more interested in the actual show itself, not all this fake, stupid stuff." He glared at McLocke. "Speaking of the show, has Achlys got the transmissions to the cameras back up?"

Rice shook his head, scratching under his chin idly with his freehand. He was trying to grow a goatee there, but the hair just never grew on his chin. "I don't think so. Poor kid, though...hardly eats now adays, just because of Danya and the SOTF ACT." He sighed. "Sometimes, I think that the violence of it all gets to Achlys."

Kaige shook her head. "No way. He has trained in soldier tactics and all that other stuff just like the rest of us."

Rice shrugged, lost for words.

Garnet crumpled up his empty bag of pop and threw it into the wastebasket. He traced the scar above his 'brow idly.

"Hey everyone, look at this!" McLocke pointed over at the laptop screen with a small, cheeky little grin.

"What, in the world?!" Rice stepped closer to the screen, blinking in disbelief. "That's...just so odd." He took a long sip from his sodacan, shaking his head. "Fans these days."

Kaige smirked. "Didn't you ever write a mushy fanfic before?"

"..."

Garnet sighed. "McLocke, you know Danya would probably kill us --"

"No, no, it's cool, though. Look at it!"

Rice placed down his sodacan, inconveniently ontop of a certain button...

--

"Dinner's ready!"

"Yay!!"

"Thanks for cooking, dear."

"It's the least I can do for being away for so long." Danya smiled, placing down the large plate of food on the tray set infront of his two favorite women in the world.

Lilly returned the smile. "You're a hero of the country. It's fine that you've been away...in fact, it's great that you --"

"Mommy, Daddy! Let's go watch SOTF!" Amora practically yelled, interrupting her mother.

Danya grinned, sitting down on the couch in between his wife and daughter. With aid of the handy dandy device known as the remote, he turned on the TV. He changed the channel to the channel specifically for SOTF. Unlike in America that had most, if not all of the major stations with SOTF, SOTF got its own station completely in Danya's country. What happened next on SOTF, though, shocked even the twisted man known as Danya.

--

"'Jacob and Uriel stared lovingly into eachother's eyes. Sure, they had just met, but something between the two just seemed to click. As if they were two half circles, finally put together. To find love during a time while everyone around was dying was odd, yes, but love happens in strange places.

'Erm,' Jacob said, snapping both of them out of their love-induced stupor. 'My name is Jacob.'

'And mine is Uriel.' The boy blushed, looking away from Jacob. No way, he thought, I can't like him. This goes against so many things that I know.'" McLocke paused, smirking as he looked over at his comrades. "Edgy fanfic, right?"

Kaige coughed. "More like cliche."

Rice shook his head, as if trying to rid the image from his mind. "Too gross. Way too nasty for my tastes. And, the characters are written completely wrong. Jacob would never say that, and Uriel would never think --"

Garnet glared. "Enough of this. The boss finds out you're using his laptop --"

McLocke waved a hand at Garnet. "And what? He won't do a thing. Throw me on the island? Yeah, right." He chuckled to himself. "I hope you've noticed by now, but Danya's nothing. Just a guy who smokes cigars, sitting cozy in his grand chair while people out there are dying against the Americans." He smiled, pretending to be an exagerrated Danya puffing out a ring of smoke.

"McLocke..."

"Let's have some fun for once. Our pathetic little boss doesn't leave this place everyday, you know, so let's go read up on some of these fics, and have fun." McLocke grinned. ...If only he knew that Danya (and all the students on the island) had heard what he had been saying. "Now, name a pairing."

"I'm out of here." Garnet promptly left the room, scowling at McLocke. He never was one for this sort of fluffy, fake stuff. None of this fanfiction, fanart. It was all...fake. It was better to keep in touch with reality. Without that touch, you're nothing...you've lost yourself completely.

McLocke scrolled down the listing of fanfics. "C'mon, Rice, I know you've got some sort of pairing that you like. I saw the way you were eyeing that ballerina girl. Pair her with whomever." He smirked, then looking over at Kaige. "You've got to have some sort of twisted boy on boy pairing that you like."

"What?" Kaige glared daggers at McLocke. "I'm serious about this job, McLocke! There's no time for goofing off like this. I hope you know who catches wind of this. A little time on his island would do you good, McLocke."

"Pffft. Rice, got a pairing in mind, yet? ...Rice? Hello, Earth to the Rice man! Space Cadet, come back down to Earth!!"

Rice's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, his mouth opened a gape. He pointed over to his half-full sodacan, sitting on the button used to operate the master mic system. The same system that was used to make the Announcements for the island. And the same system that allowed everyone to hear what was said. Students on the island, people at home watching, the Americans back home themselves...everyone.

--

Rice wasn't the only one whose mouth was hanging open. Danya face turned red with rage. "What did he just say?!" He stood up from the couch, knocking down his dinnertray in the process. "How dare they?!"

"Dear..."

"Enough, Lilly! I'm sorry, but I've got to go now." He strode over to the door. "I wanted so much to spend the night, but now..." He punched the doorframe, and then stormed out of his grand house, filled with an unearthly rage.

--

"Rice, you idiot! Idiot!!" McLocke stood up, and took Rice by the collar. "Your drink, it was yours!"

Tears streamed down Rice's face. He could just imagine Danya now...Danya with a gun in his hand, Danya with a glare on his face. Danya ready to kill him, McLocke, Kaige, and Garnet. He'd kill them all because of a stupid mistake. "...S-sorry."

"Sorry doesn't cut it!" McLocke shook Rice up. "We've got families back home! They're going to find us because of you, Rice!! They're going to kill me, you, Ka--"

Kaige screamed. "Don't say my name! Don't say it!!"

"We're all going to die because of you, Rice. And what do you have to say?" McLocke let go of Rice's collar, smacking himself in the forehead.

"...So...rry." The reply was quiet and drawn out. "I...d-didn't mean to." He lifted the sodacan from the button, so that their sobs couldn't be heard all over the island.

Rice wasn't the only one crying. They all were. Like a terrible chorus, they all said in unison. "We're going to die, we're going to die..."

--

Danya entered the building, a grim smile on his face. His soldiers saluted him as he entered, Danya returning the salutes with a single firm nod. He passed by both Dorian and Achlys on his way to the room for Announcements. The two had been chatting together during their little "break", talking about the going-ons in SOTF, and a few other more personal things.

"Wait, Danya, sir!"

Danya spun around, glaring at his trembling underling. Achlys swallowed a big gulp of air, mustered up some courage, and then continued on, "I...Sir, I was able to get all the camera transmissions back." He smiled. "Right after all the rain stopped, too. We're getting all the 'lost' footage out now, and everything. Sure, there had to be a bit of backtracking done, but..."

Danya waved a hand, dismissing Achlys. "Fine, fine, fine!" He continued his way up the stairs to the room for Announcements. Danya looked forward to the type of punishment that would be delivered onto the people inside. And inside were Rice, Kaige, and McLocke, all three screaming and crying over the fact they would die. Garnet was nowhere to found. He most likely had taken off earlier, deciding to leave when he figured out the fact that the four's words had been broadcasted across the island.

The three inside were going to die, but not at the hands of their good ol' boss, Danya. Oh, no...they would meet their doom at the hands of someone different entirely...

--

"Hello there kids!" It was the cheerful voice of Danya. "I've got a present for you all, but, you're going to have to wait through the announcement first. The present - oh, well, there's actually three presents. But, I'll get into detail about them later on." Danya smirked, raising a sodacan to his lips with a small sigh.

"You know, I was at my home with my lovely wife and daughter. And guess what I see while I'm watching you guys on TV? Well, not really what I see, but more or less...what I hear." He paused, looking over to his laptop screen. Sure enough, the trio hadn't exited out of the story that had really spelled out their doom. "Some fanfic being read aloud. Really, it's not the best that I've seen, but considering the pairing..." He chuckled to himself, turning off his computer in disgust. "Let's get on with the Announcement, shall we?

"The 18th person to die was Andrew Lipson. You know, the wheelchair kid." He snickered. "Don't take that personally, folks. Unless, you're American...anywho, he was struck by lightning, fusing his cellphone to his hand - see, I told you kids not to make any calls on your cell phone - and then his wheelchair broke, causing him to fall off of the cliff. A series of unfortunate events, indeed." Danya stopped to take a breath. "19th was River Garraty. Ran himself into a dangerzone like a crazy little guy. Quite funny, actually..." He trailed off, trying to remember whom else had died between this Announcement and the last one. "Oh yeah...20th to die was Uriel Hunter, in the school building. Heather fed the poor guy a flashbang, making his jaw fall right off, and then was accidentally shot in the head by Jacob Starr. I don't really know who to give the death to." He glanced over to the door, as if expecting someone to come in. No one was going to. Who was crazy enough to bother Danya while he was doing the Announcements, especially after knowing what he did to Kaige, McLocke, and Rice?

"21st was James Coombs, killed in the Makeshift Hospital by everyone's favorite psycho ballerina Clemence. 22nd was Rais Sekth, whom was stabbed to death by Jacob Starr near the River. 24th was --" Danya stopped abruptly to sneeze. "-- Jimmy Moreland. A very gorey death delivered onto him by the wonderful Blaine Eno. 25th was Arturo Villamor, whom also had a gorey death in the Caves, thanks to Cillian. 26th was Devi Satome, also killed by Cillian in the Caves. And then, 27th was Elise Aversano, shot in the gut by Stevan Hyde, if you want her death in layman's terms."

Danya yawned. "27 people dead already. Nice, very nice. Although, you all should really get a little more stylish in the killings. Either that, or take a page out of Cillian's book and make the deaths all the more gore-filled." He tossed his sodacan over to the wastebasket, frowning when it missed. "Current Danger Zones wiped. Dark Caves and The Well are the current Danger Zones.

"Now, as I was saying earlier about the presents.... You've heard about Rice, McLocke, and Kaige, haven't you? The three idiots who decided to read a distasteful little fanfic outloud? Well, the fabulous trio are going to be on the island soon. You might want to write this information down just incase you run into them.

"The three of them are all dangerous. They've got military training...they're stronger than you. Way better than any student you've met on the island. Really, none of you stand a chance one on one. It'll take atleast seven of you to successfully take one on. Be weary of them...they're the ones wearing dark, dark clothing and in full military gear. Face masks, kevlar, gloves, knife holsters, powerful weaponry...they've got it all. Except," Danya smirked. "Vocal chords. But, why are they here? They're traitors to my homecountry, simply put. Such a shame, too...can you believe that they were actually feeding information back to the U.S.? Terrible, terrible." A lie, of course. Kaige, McLocke, and Rice weren't traitors to their country. "Think of this as a new edge to the game, kiddies...three super baddies. Try your best to kill them all! For once, I'm actually rooting for you all... Ta ta for now!"

Fifth Announcement
"Hello there kiddies!"

Mr. Danya's cheery voice filled the island up like a round balloon. "How are you all on this fine morning? Good, bad, so-so, I don't care. All I know is that you kids are killing machines, through and through.

"You just might be able to give those big bad terrorists a run for their money, afterall." There was a light pause, and a shuffling of paper. "Ah...I see now. Nearly lost the list. Teehee, it's a long one, so listen up good.

The 28th person to die on the island was Naoji Hideyoshi, killed by Clemence de Rousseau. The 29th person to die was James Kelecks; a double kill for Clemence. Atta girl!" Danya smirked, then continued his vicious announcement.

"30th to die was Aaron Redfield, killed by Katherine Marks. Katherine Marks was then killed by Chi Masumi soon after, making her the 31st to die. 32nd to die was Blaine Eno shot with a shotgun blast by Adam Dodd." Danya sighed, seemingly bored with the large death-list.

"33rd, Sophie Maraschino, by Ash Holmes.

34th, Ash Holmes, by Cillian Crowe.

35th, Umi Martin, by Peri Barclay.

36th, Cassandra Roivas, by Kiyoko Asakawa.

37th, Kiyoko Asakawa, by Cassandra Roivas.

38th, Garrett Langston, by Jacob Starr.

39th, Marie Zaid, killed by Daphne Rudko.

40th, Max McNeal, shot by Shinya Motomura.

41st, Nanami Nishida, killed by her own best friend, Madelaine Shirohara.

42nd, Jayne Brown, by Jason Andrews.

43rd, Hawley Faust, killed by bloodloss from his wounds. Thought that one would last a long while, but seeing as this is SOTF...I guess not.

44th, Thom Chuck, by Peri Barclay.

45th, Woodrow Wilson, by Shinya Motomura.

46th, Marcus Roddy, by Adam Dodd.

47th, Duncan Wright, by Angharad Davies.

48th, Eddie Serjeantson, by Daphne Rudko.

49th, Miranda Grey, also by Daphne Rudko.

50th, Daphne Rudko, shot by Jason Andrews.

A salute to all the dead; it ain't easy surviving. Death's inevitable for the unfit, although I respect you all for trying hard to win.

All existing Danger Zones have been wiped. The new Danger Zones are the Old Warehouse and the Makeshift Hospital. Run for your lives, lads and lassies! And, remember to keep in there and never give up! That's when they strike you hardest.

Ciao."

There was a clicking sound as Mr. Danya hung up the communication system. He sucked his teeth and rapped his fingers on the desk in front of him. The American Army's threats from their Public Service Announcement played in his head like an annoying tune. There was hardly a way that they'd actually find him, and they hardly had any resources to do anything too major. Not with all their attention focused on the war between themselves and Danya's people, anywho.

Alas, just like with the events going on on SOTF island, time would only tell.

Sixth Announcement
There was slight crackling noise as the intercom system turned on.

"Hey kids. Well rested for the next surprise attack? I sure hope not.

This announcement will be done a little differently than others. You can chalk it up to laziness if you want, but I think that this brings a more fun element into the game. More stealth, harder situations, and more crimson...

Cleo Barston, Cydni Pullman, Andrew Mutaeneau, Callum Hadley, and the infamous Jacob Starr have all died to a variety of killers. Ken Mendel, Ian Hargrave, David Jackson, Madelaine Shirohara, and Amanda Jones have died, aswell. Shame, too, about Madelaine. Wouldn't've minded to seen a little more pink. Heh.

The list continues on, to include Fredrik Hughes, Sven Kekule, Kousaka Takeda, Glenn Hughes, and Vince Samsa. Oh, how tragic! Two brothers dead in the same announcement. I may have to shed a tear for that.

We can't forget Jake Driggers, Aaron Bourdon, Madison Satomi, and Shinya Motomura. The last boy had a rather...tasty suicide, if I do say so myself. Take a page out of his book, kiddies.

Now, how much does that leave us with? About forty of you still alive, and around seventy of you dead? You're disappointing me... Let's get this show on the road. You want to meet your families, don't you? There's only one way off the island, and that is to kill the competition! Don't hide like a whiney little coward. That's your ticket to stay on the island, so kill everyone you can! There are awards at the end, I do promise.

The Old Warehouse and the Makeshift Hospital are no longer danger zones. The new ones are the Lookout Point and the River.

Over and out, ducks."

Danya's Offer
"Dirty filths of all ages, direct your attention over to the Open Field. Seems like your good friends have arrived. Give them a warm welcoming, just for me, okay? They're just like you kids, only a half step up on the dirt scale. They've been thrown onto the island, forced to kill who knows how many other people. Boo hoo...

"Their arms are a little better, I must say that, but they're following all of your same rules. Except for this little one...

"Kill one of them, and you just may have a ticket off of the island. Yes, you heard me right. Killing one of them is like killing all the rest of the kids here. A possible way off the island! Awesome, no?

"Talk to you tomorrow!"

~ Danya

Seventh Announcement
"On June 26th, 2005, we have recovered the first tape released by the terrorist known as Mr. Danya. He is the man that has been in charge of the Survival of the Fittest Terrorist Threat. We've lost many American children to this man, and we now have a live feed into his public service announcement." The image of the male reporter switched to another one, of a shadowed man clad in dark clothes and a baseball cap that shadowed his whole face. Danya. Feeling that the Americans weren't even fit enough to look at him, he dressed himself up like he was hiding something.

"Hey," The tape wasn't perfect. Lines of static zapped through every now and then, discoloring Danya and his dark outfit. "As you should know, I'm the guy who has been taking all of your children and making them kill eachother!" He clapped his hands together energetically. "Alright! I even gave you a chance to watch them as they died. How swell, how awesome, how poetic, huh? I didn't want you guys to miss any of it because, that would be so unfair.

I'm surprised at you all, though. It's been days since version one has gone on, and it seems like you haven't even lifted a finger to help. Sure, taking to the skies in an effort to find me is nice, but it's so hard and such a waste of your time. You tried to find me via satellite, but not even that worked, because you all forgot that I have them under my control too. Idiots. Mind you that your television stations have all been changed for Survival of the Fittest, airing 24/7 on all channels.

Wow! Awesome! Bananza!" Acting a little over the top, he made a peace sign. "Little did you know that you could've watched version one before and saved yourself all of this trouble. T'was on Ch. 7839, for all of you with the dish. Yeah! Could've watched them struggle there, too. But, great deal, you can watch it on DVD. Coming really soon, along with a whole new line of Survival of the Fittest merchandise! Rocking, booyeah, totally cool.

Now, let's get down to buisness. What do I want from all of you? I want a lot of things. Revenge, money, government, the world, money...no, hardly any of that. What I really want is to cleanse earth and bring it back to what it once was under my own rule. Am I being selfish and cliche? No way. There's far more to it than that. Right now, here's what you can do to ensure that the rest of the students still on the island don't die.

Call off your military. Put them at permanent rest." There was a pause, as if he were wondering what to say next. There were so many things to force the American Empire to do, it was hard to choose. "Your highest power must kill himself on film and release the tape to the whole world. Don't even try switching him with someone else, or killing him! He must do it himself! Then, I want...hm," Another pause, this one much worse than the last. "Well, I actually don't really know what else could be more humiliating. Oh, wait, yes I do!

I want every politician to declothe themselves and began howling at the moon. In 24 hours, when the president shall kill himself, and the military stop all action against any countries out there. Oh yes. Awesomeness, a'ight? If you don't do what I just told you all to do, then I'm declaring an all out war on your stupid country. Prepare yourselves. We're packing the big guns, remember that!

Lot's of love~ Danya!"

The transmission ended, leaving America in a panic. Should they listen to this man? Could they defeat his army in the event of refusal? Everything rested on the decision of the President, President Aaron Bridges, a Southern man whom was leading the country in the direction it needed. Normally, he would be joking around like he usually did, but now, he leaned back in his comfy, spinny chair, his lip twitching every now and then with worry. The questions at hand were ones that he couldn't answer, the ultimate one being "do you want to die?". Stenton had no family of his own. Only his mother, and she had disowned him the moment he had refused becoming a man of the creative arts. Wasn't his fault he didn't want to become a hippy. Blame it on the media.

"Mister President, sir?"

Aaron looked up, his fear clouding his dark eyes as he made his reply. "Y-yes?"

"What are you going to do?" Samuel Carson, political extraordinaire, was fearful aswell, but he had better control over it. "What's going to happen to the country?"

"I don't know anymore. I just. . .don't know." His lips trembled boyishly as he reached for a blue pen, scribbling down some things. All that the country knew about Danya. Wasn't much at all. Samuel watched Aaron with a slightly amused gaze as the President began to break. It was exactly what Danya and his men had wanted to happen. Once their weak President was broken, they'd have the key to the country. Or, so they thought. There were far more obstacles ahead for them; the President being the least of the problem.

Carson coughed for Aaron's attention. Once he had it, he began to speak like a man with a plan. "I have a few ideas, sir. We don't—no, we won't have to negotiate with them. Sir, no, we're going to strike back with everything we have. This announcement of his was a sign of weakness. It's time, more than ever, to get him when he's down!"

"Do tell."

"It'll all take a while, but if we work quickly, we can get it done and save everyone. Yes... Here's the plan, Mr. Bridges..."

--

"Yo, kids!" The cheery Danya from the PSA was still there, acting like a child at a candy store. And, hey, everything was free, no cavities were involved, and Mother dearest didn't care. "I just finished sending a little message to your homes. It was the coolest thing I've done in such a long time. Darn, I'm *still* feeling the excitement. Haha." He shuffled around a stack of papers and video tapes idly, trying to get rid of his jitters. It didn't work.

"Alright, alright. We've got a bunch of deaths. The first two were killed by Rice and McLocke. Oh, no! Chi Masumi was killed by Green Rice and Ai Kurosawa was killed by Black McLocke. What are you up to, Miss Blue Kaige? Then, we got some students killed by other students. Johnny Lamika, Daisuke Andou, Kouji Ginsenshi, madman Cillian Crowe, Neville Eden, Mallory DeLuca," Danya stumbled over the next name. "Gillaume "Gilbert" Archambault, mafia wannabe Antonio Franchini, and Jason Andrews! Alright! Nice job everyone!

But, unfortunately, we've really got to speed things up. Starting in twenty minutes, the Dark Caves and the Gazebo are joining the Lookout Point and the River as Danger Zones. That's four Zones this time, without any removal of Zones like the way the Japanese do it.

I wish a lot of luck to you all, and I hope to see a winner before long! 36 Students Remain, who will emerge victorious?

See ya, Danya!"

Eighth Announcement
"Hellooooo children!" The intercomm cracked to life, signalling that it was time for another one of Danya's cheery announcements. "I'm in a great mood. Remember yesterday when I told you all about the message I sent to your precious America? Well, I'm about to watch their reply to what I sent them! Cool. I gave them, like, three choices. Let's hope they chose to go through on the choices, 'cause if they didn't, then..." He laughed too close to the microphone, making his cheer sound more like percussion. "You're all dead. Every last one of you. Say goodbye to the winner, even.

"So, onwards, hoes, to announcement number eight. We've had quite a few deaths this time, which I'm proud of. Keep at it and we might have our winner by day eleven! You guys are far from the record, unfortunately, but that's okay since you guys have the largest game."

His assistant, Dorian's voice could be heard in the background, warning Danya to hurry up or he'd miss the States' decisions.

"Alrighty. Vince Noir was killed in the Bathroom Facility by Xian Chun. Wednesday Garci was killed by nasty Elijah Rice at the Ravine. Ryan Ashmore followed soon after, killed by Lyndi Thibodeaux somewhere in the dark Woods. Then, it was Jamie Amy Robins—wow, she had an awesome name—killed by Adam Dodd at the School Building. Next death happened in the Woods; Arsenio Thanodeus's death by Cody Jenson. That's five deaths right there, but there's more!

"Kaleigh Jones, on the Eastern Shore, was shot by Adam Dodd. Then, Chance Burton was killed by Sidney Crosby in the Makeshift Hospital. Oh! Yippy! Shannon McLocke, one of the terrorists, died over at the Hillside Cliff. Too bad he went and killed himself. What a sore loser! Don't worry, guys and girls. There are still two terrorists out there for you to kill. Cassie Webber was shot to death by Drew Lynn in the Open Field. Or, rather, the Helicopter Crash Site. Not much of an Open Field now, is it?

"Nine kills so far! Could this be a record? Xian Chun was blown up in the Bathroom Facility by Angelina Kaige. Angharad Davies died in the same explosion, also killed by Angelina Kaige in a two for one grenade kind of deal. Nice going! Kaige, on a kill high, it seems, went off to kill Aiden Ambrose at the Eastern Shore. Following that, she killed Lyndi Thibodeaux at the Hillside Cliff. And, concluding the list of deaths for yesterday, Heather Pendergast, at the Small House. Poor baby bled to death, boo hoo.

"Wow! 14 deaths in one day! That leaves about 99 dead and 24 of you alive! Yep, our little Survival of the Fittest is ending real soon, it looks like. Maybe sooner if the country doesn't meet my demands. See you later, kiddies!"

Ninth Announcement
For the tenth day in a row, the loudspeakers planted across SOTF island squealed to life, signifying another day of living hell for those who had managed to live through the nearly two weeks the Survival of the Fittest program had undergone, as well as another announcement from the notorious orchestrator of the program himself: Mr. Danya.

"Good morning, everybody! Or at least, those of you who are still alive. I'd like to start off announcement number nine by telling you all that I absolutely, positively, couldn't be any prouder of you! What you've done over the last day has far exceeded my expectations! First off, I believe a congratulations is in order for Ms. Angelina Kaige who has claimed the spot as our island's top killer for the second day in a row! She's been a busy little beaver and I must say, has gone about slaughtering the competition quite cleverly. First of all, she eliminated both Jill Gatling and Martyn Ferdinand in a two-for-one with a grenade explosion at the warehouse. She was even indirectly responsible for the death of Hannah Juett, who fell off the warehouse roof as a result of the explosion! She then proceeded to eliminate Clare Shephard, who was standing around like a fool after the explosion. That wasn't all the drama for the warehouse though, oh no! Congratulations Jeremy Torres on kill numero uno, Eh-Sun Choi! The few remaining pacifists here should take a page out of Jeremy's book and realize that it's not too late to start killing until the final student is dead!"

"At the bathroom facility, Kaige racked up another one in the form of Dorian Greywood. Such a tragic ending for a tragic young man... first used and dumped on national television, then he gets riddled with bullets!" At the retort, Danya let out a fake sob, followed by a sniffle, "Truly, utterly, pitifully tragic indeed. Meanwhile, at the lighthouse, Adam Dodd was busy eliminating Dorian's lover, Peri Barclay from the rest of the competition. You know, Mr. Dodd, for someone who seems to spend every single second of his pathetic existence cursing me and this game, you're doing a top-notch job of taking out the competition. You're a true inspiration to the fellow players of this game, may they all step up and brutally slaughter the remaining competition along with you! The next death was simply pitiful. While both Elijah Rice and the beautiful Miss Clemence teamed up in an attempt to slaughter the crew hiding out at the hospital, it was an abysmal failure. In fact, it was so bad that Takara Asano deemed it necessary to take her OWN life."

"Eight down, but it doesn't end there! After putting us through a fight that looked more like it belonged in a samurai movie, Cody Jenson eliminated the resident ditz, Elsie Darroch. Yet again Angelina Kaige stepped up to the plate with another two-fer in the forms of Scott Jameson and Michael Suarez. Shortly after, everyone's favorite psycho ballerina Clemence broke away from her failure of a partner, and Ryan Torres felt her wrath. Meanwhile, in a true statement to the question of whether or not you could kill your best friend, Drew Lynn seemed to have no qualms about eliminating Toby Valerik from the game. Our own little hockey phenom, Mr. Sidney Crosby, scored the next kill on our list, spraying Nevera Aero's brain matter across the warehouse right in front of Jeremy Torres. Let that be a lesson to those of you who still believe you can protect others from the game. It's going to run its course, rather you like it or not, and eventually every one of you will feel it full-force."

"Finally, death #15 and the final death on our little list is that of terrorist Elijah Rice, who was young Mr. Dodd's second kill for the day. You hear that, Kaige? You got sloppy on that last one. Though I must say, it was a fun show. Very fun, indeed. So, Adam Dodd, after the feat you've accomplished, I suppose you're ready for that one-way ticket back to the good ole' U.S. of A, am I right? I'm sure you all remember the deal, whoever eliminates a terrorist from the game is guaranteed a nifty little get-out-of-jail-free card, so, congratulations Adam Dodd! Head on over to the helicopter crash site to receive your prize, which is... I'm sure you've guessed it... nothing at all."

A loud percussion-like sound echoed out from the loudspeakers as Danya snickered into the microphone.

"But hey, look on the bright side. Something good came out of the ordeal. You got laid. Maybe now you can stop fantasizing about me, you fool." A brief silence occurred after the comment, but Danya almost immediately began talking again, "Ah, teen angst. I love it so. Well now, moving right along... if you've all been keeping track of the remaining students like good little puppets, I'm sure you've come to notice something. That's right, children, those of you still alive have made it into the final ten. So, let's spice things up a bit. This part is a little thing I'd like to call endgame. Today, six more areas will become danger zones. Those areas are the Bathroom Facility, the Makeshift Hospital, the Lighthouse, the Small House, the School Building and, you guessed it, the Warehouse. In twenty minutes there will be nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Make me proud, little warriors, finish this round with gusto!"



After taking a moment to turn off the broadcasting equipment he made the morning announcements on, Danya smiled to himself and kicked back in the large cushioned leather chair he had been relaxing in. Today was going to be a good day. The way things had been going the past two days, negotiations with the U.S. were completely unneccessary. The children were doing a fantastic job of killing one another on their own accord.

"S-sir?"

The nasal and high-pitched sound of Dorian's voice threw Danya out of his reverie, causing the man to lean forward in his chair and raise an eyebrow.

"We've received messages from the United States, sir. They're... they're willing to negotiate for the safe return of the children."

A smile crept across the lips of Mr. Danya as he watched Dorian in a mildly amused manner. It was all falling into place, all going perfectly. The U.S., who had always had a strict policy of "not negotiating with terrorists" was suddenly changing it's tune.

"Oh? Well then, negotiate away."

Nodding solemnly, Dorian slid a recording of the message addressed to Danya by the United States into the antique-looking VCR that sat atop a retro-looking television in the announcement room. Mr. Danya couldn't help but look on with sheer glee as the President of the United States himself appeared on the television screen, his almost defeated-sounding voice ringing out through the television's speakers.

"Attention Mr. Danya, the United States of America had agreed to call off all military forces if you will return the children safe--"

Tenth Announcement
Dorian's computer beeped so loudly that he actually dropped the thermos of coffee that he was holding, and if the thing'd been open in the first place, he probably would have spilled it all over the ground. He'd been forced to admit to himself that he'd become real jumpy after the three other terrorists had been punished and tossed on the island. After that, all of the remaining terrorists in the control centre had basically forced themselves to stick strictly to their work, and socializing was at an all-time low. Granted, they had just kidnapped one-hundred and twenty teenagers from around the world, and when it all boiled down to it, if they were caught, they'd probably all recieve the death penalty, but Dorian couldn't help but wish that they were all still socializing. It made one feel better to know that they weren't in it alone, and that they actually had other people who were in as deep as he was. So due to the constant feeling of paranoia, not to mention the feeling of lonliness, Dorian was definitely getting quite jittery. Quickly picking up the thermos from the ground, he glanced at his computer screen to see what exactly that it was which had triggered one of the many alarms that the system had. As of late, he'd become what one could almost see as Danya's right hand man - if he could be said to have one. He was as afraid of Danya as the others, but since he'd been capable and had done his job as he'd been told, Danya had counted on him for more tasks - for example, sending his messages back and forth to the United States. It was a fairly easy thing, and he hoped that for his sake, none of the messages got lost thanks to some inept delivery boy, for it could look bad on him.

Dorian's daydreaming came to a screetching halt when he looked on the computer screen in front of him and saw what the alarm was REALLY screeching about. Eyes agape, he was filled with a sensation of both panic and near-relief. It was almost over. This hell of a job - that even now he felt guilty about accepting, was about to come to an end. Grimacing, he knew what his next move would be. Rising from his seat, he walked across the room to another station - the main station, the one that Danya usually sauntered around when he was actually in the base of operations. It had a somewhat cliched-looking red phone attached to it, which was a direct scrambled line to Danya's personal cellular phone. Picking it up, he gulped nervously as the line rang three times, and then was picked up by that ever-too-familiar voice. Dorian tried his best to muster up the confidence that he needed to make the necessary announcement.

"I-it's Dorian, sir. T-the competition is down to...well, it's down to five, sir..."

Dorian had always wondered how Danya seemed to get from one place to another so damned quickly. He'd informed him about the alarm which had signified the final five had arrived, and it appeared that the final five was something that Danya had very determined plans for. Of course, in the ten minutes that it had taken for Danya to come from wherever it was that he had been (Dorian assumed it mustn't have been all that far), the fifth competitor - Angelina Kaige, the terrorist who he'd fantasized about a few times, had managed to get herself killed, wiping the terrorists from the competition entirely. Dorian assumed that Danya would be downright jolly about that fact, proving once and for all that you NEVER crossed Danya. He couldn't help but wonder if Danya would ever be caught. As much as the man scared him, he seemed to have all of his bases covered. Even still, Dorian hadn't been looking forward to the fact that Danya's ideal final five seemed to have become a foursome. As the imposing man walked into the room and headed straight for Dorian himself, he seemed to shrink a little under the man's gaze.

Fucking charismatic leaders...

Taking it upon himself, he straightened himself up, and weakly stepped over to where Danya was heading. Meeting him halfway seemed to surprise Danya, who raised his eyebrow at Dorian and, without having to even speak, demanded a status report, which Dorian stammered out to him.

"The, uh, the five, sir. It's become four. Kaige was k-killed by Boy 80, sir."

Danya's blank expression first turned into a deep scowl, but then a merry little smirk as he realized that the three terrorists who'd managed to irk him had all been killed. There was no fear of reparation. In the first place, Danya hadn't been anticipating any of them to make it even close to the ending, but he had to admit to himself that Kaige getting as far as she did had made him uneasy. She'd certainly served her purpose, sending down eleven students before getting killed herself, and he made a mental note to try not to underestimate intense female soldiers anymore. It was always the woman that seemed to stand out at the oddest times. Bringing himself back to the sputtering Dorian in front of him, he smiled that evil grin of his, and (much to Dorian's surprise) put his hand on the man's shoulder.

"Dorian. You've been more than adequate while you've been here. But if you keep stammering like that, I'm seriously going to drug you up and leave you here, once we all leave. Relax, will you? You're putting ME on edge."

Danya didn't mean his words, but ever since the incident with the three terrorists who'd been caught broadcasting a fanfic across the island, almost none of his underlings even looked him in the eyes anymore. He enjoyed being feared, but the fear was getting to the point where he couldn't have a decent conversation with anyone but his own family. Not waiting to even see if Dorian stopped stammering, Danya continued on.

"So it's four, now, instead of five? There isn't much we can do about that, Dorian. It isn't like we can bring Kaige back to life only to kill her again moments later. So you know what you do, Dorian? You improvise. You adapt. Which is exactly what we're going to do."

As the mikes all over the island crackled to life, that ever-too-familiar voice filled every crack of the island. "Good afternoon, kiddos! It looks like we're really getting down to the good stuff, wouldn't you say?" Danya laughed to himself, clearing his throat a little before continuing. "But before I start to tell you the REALLY important information, how about we get some other stuff out of the way first?"

"After the last announcement left off, we were at ten people remaining. That's right, you were all part of the final ten. Aren't you all proud of yourselves? I hope so. But guess what, kids? The number's gone down. The 114th person overall to die was Stevan Hyde - and I've got to say that Lucinda Garnett really outdid herself. Running him down with a car? That impresses even ME! I hope she hit him with both sets of wheels. And well, you know what they say, kids: smoking will kill you, but so will getting hit by a car! Coming in 9th place was then Ms. Garnett herself. After quite the chase around the island - in cars, no less, she came right back into a danger zone and died when her collar exploded. It was, of course, probably for the best, being as she was on fire and all. The kid she was chasing, one Jeremy Torres, was 116th, or 8th place, for those of you whose minds aren't functioning so well. Of course, Jeremy drove himself into a danger zone as well - which, really, if you're in a car, sounds like a real stupid thing to do. But hey, it's always good to outdo yourself, right? So if that wasn't dumb enough, he then went ahead and shot himself. This close to the end, and he shoots himself? What a waste."

Danya yawned a little, and continued on, somewhat mockingly.

"Next, finishing 7th overall, was that French chick. Clemence Ceillet de Rousseau. What a mouthful. Something tells me that I probably wouldn't be able to spell that. Our resident island rapis-oh, that's right, I guess he's not the resident island rapist anymore, now that Kaige is trying to steal his title, but anyways, Cody Jenson really did a number on that Clemence girl. Then again, with her being as thin as she was, I'm surprised she wasn't the first one out, broken in half by a strong wind. Then again, those girls...you never can count them out. Just like the person who finished 6th overall did - Drew Lynn. He went a little crazy, then got in a shootout with Kaige - which, I can't say is all that great of a strategy, but hey, whatever floats your boat, right? Drew made the silly little mistake of shooting her in the gut, as opposed to the head. Come on, Drew? Haven't you seen, oh, I don't know...ANY zombie movie EVER? So Drew paid the price with his head. Or, perhaps, his neck, that is, as Kaige got up and broke his neck. I'm told it was quite gruesome, actually." Danya stopped, paused, and snapped his fingers a few time, as he was handed a paper that had the details of the last death on it. "And finally, to round it out, the 119th person to die was our very own Ms. Angelina Kaige, from a shot to the head by Jack O'Connor. I'm sorry, Mr. Dodd. Your fuckbuddy has died. I hope you're not in too much angst over this."

Danya suddenly got real serious, and the mocking tone disappeared, making him sound all the more evil.

"So here we are, kiddos. I suppose that there isn't much to hide anymore, is there? There's only FOUR of you left. And just so there aren't any surprises, I figure that you all ought to know who it is you're up against. You know, just in case you HAVEN'T figured it out already. 119 people have died before you, and now, we're down to four men. Our own famous little hockey player, Sidney Crosby. I have to say, Sidney. You've impressed quite a few people here. It seems you have your own little fan following outside of your hockey league. To be honest, I'm not quite sure how, but you've managed to do it. Maybe I'll snatch a few more hockey players next time around. In fact, if I've read my information correctly, three of the four of you seem to have played hockey."

Danya paused, almost as if amused by this strange fact.

"Yeah, I'll definitely make a point to grab more hockey players. Anyways..." He paused briefly. "That brings us to Mr. Crosby's arch-nemesis - Cody Jenson. Mr. Jenson's also attracted quite a bit of attention, though I can't say that it's the same kind as Mr. Crosby. In fact, there are quite a few people who're calling for your head, Cody. Something or other about you raping people, or whatnot. I can't say I approve too much myself, but - what is it that they say in America? 'Different strokes for different folks'? You're different, that's for certain. And you sure know how to make an enemy.

Which brings us to the easiest guy on the island, Adam Dodd. You know, the more I think about it, the more I can't help but wonder if Mr. Jenson is the nemesis of Dodd, Crosby, or even both. Either way, he really knows how to make people dislike him. But back to you, Mr. Dodd. The man who's been cursing my name since he got onto the island. Ever since he started playing our little game. Made several threats against my life. And who would've thought that he's in the final four. Then again, killing ten people - and yes, everyone, that is the highest total amongst students, killing ten people will definitely help get you there. But honestly, Adam, would you stop complaining about those girlfriends of yours? You got laid, generally that shuts people up!"

The transmission became a little staticy, causing Danya to tap his microphone a few times and look at it in disgust. He looked at Dorian through the window, and Dorian, in the other room, shrugged. Danya then continued and the static let up a little.

"And we come to the final member of our final four - Jack O'Connor. You got lucky in that warehouse, boy-o. By all accounts, you should have died there, but you didn't, and you even managed to be part of the exclusive club of terrorist-killers. You and Mr. Dodd can go have your own little secret passwords, decoder rings, and everything. Ooooh! Won't that be fun?" The sarcasm dripped off of his words like hot butter off popcorn. "You've played that classic 'fly-under-the-radar' game, Mr. O'Connor. It's probably how you managed to outlive the rest of your pathetic baseball team. Didn't you know? Hockey's apparently the way to go, these days. Maybe you should talk to one of your fellow final four members about it."

Danya finished reading his notes, and tossed them away, getting close up to the mike and sneering into it.

"So here we stand, kids. Four of you left, and you've got to get down to one. As it stands now, there are danger zones right, left, and center. In fact, the four of you are probably in the only zones that aren't going to make your neck explode. So for a one-time only little gift, from me, to you, I'm going to make the entire island a free spot. That, of course, is only going to mean that you're going to have enough time to get to your final destination. That spot is the River. The time right now is 4:39pm, in case any of you have lost track of the time. I know, doesn't time fly when you're having fun? I'm going to give you all an hour and a half to get to the river, after which time, every single other zone on the island will turn into a danger zone. If you don't get there in time, you'll explode. Which'll make for a let-down of a final battle, but it'd be your own damned fault. Now remember, kids. It's Survival of the Fittest. You four are the only ones left. You win...you get to keep breathing air into your lungs. You lose, and you become just another type of compost. One and a half hours, kiddos. Keep those guns loaded and those swords sharpened, because now - now it's time to figure out who is the fittest."

Danya's voice became deadly serious as he spoke, and the transmission cut off with a rustle of static and a sharp sound of the button being pressed to end the transmission.